The coating of automobile bodies may include metallic and other types of special-effect paints containing various pigments. Such paints may contain a coating of lustrous particles such as aluminum flakes, mica flakes and xirallic that act as tiny mirrors. When the paint is illuminated from a single direction, light is reflected from the surfaces of these particles. The directional reflectance of metallic and other types of special-effect paints results in a variation in color of the surface based on the angle of observation of the viewer and other factors.